The English Football League: England and Wales’ professional football ladder since 1888.
Southampton has been expelled from the Championship playoff final after admitting to spying on Middlesbrough and others. Middlesbrough will meet Hull in the final, while Southampton faces further sanctions and an appeal is pending. The decision has triggered a wave of legal considerations and potential compensation claims.
Southampton’s head coach Tonda Eckert is under FA investigation after a League Arbitration Panel found the club engaged in a “contrived and determined plan” to spy on opponents during the Championship playoffs. Owner Dragan Solak backs Eckert as the club pursues promotion back to the Premier League.